Defying all odds, teen sensation Yashasvi Jaiswal made it to India's under-19 World Cup squad earlier last month. Having spent most of his days in a tent while selling panipuris to make his ends meet, the 17-year-old will now be heading to South Africa to prove his worth. But before the big tournament, Yashavi enjoyed a huge pay day on Thursday as Rajasthan Royals roped him in for INR 2.40 crores in Kolkata at the IPL 2020 Auction.
He entered the auction at a base price of INR 20 Lakhs, Mumbai Indians made a belted entry and Kolkata Knight Riders joined the bidding war and in less than five minutes, the panipuri-selling teenager became a crorepati. Rajasthan swopped in rather late and brought the youngster for INR 2.40 crores.
It has been a season to remember for the 17-year-old Mumbaikar. After a string of ravishing knocks in youth cricket earlier this year against South Africa and England, Yashasvi made his List-A debut for Mumbai and what a tournament it turned out to be in Vijay Hazare Trophy. With 564 runs in six matches at 112.80, he became Mumbai's highest run-getter and fifth highest overall in the team's otherwise poor run. The run tally also included 25 sixes, the second-most in the tournament.
"Initially I stayed with my uncle at his place and started playing but due to space constraint my uncle arranged my stay at Dairy in South Mumbai near my ground on condition that I had to work for dairy in lieu of my stay there," Jaiswal told ANI.
On October 16 this year, he notched up 203 runs off 154 balls in the same tournament, against Jharkand, to become the youngest double centurion in List-A cricket history. 12 of his 25 sixes in the tournament came in the innings. He followed his sensational run in Vijay Hazare with an unbeaten 108 in a Youth ODI against Afghanistan last month.
"Soon, I was evicted from there as I could not work due to my busy practice schedule. Then a coach helped me for few months by allowing me to stay at his place. But soon there were problems too. I played a good knock in a match for a club which allowed me to stay at their tent in the Azad Maidan ground itself," Jaiswal said.
"It was a shelter for me but that was also very difficult for me as there were no toilet facilities and also it was very difficult during the changing weather to spend time in a tent. For making arrangements of my daily diet and other expenses, I had to work at a Pani puri stall also which not only supported me financially but I got to eat something also there at that stall," he added.
